Berlin's TrueBusyness expands with an SSL AWS 948

“The sound of SSL tells a story like no other console in the world”

BERLIN - Sascha "Busy" Bühren, co-owner and chief engineer of TrueBusyness, one of Germany's premier recording and mastering studios, is getting down to "busyness" with a Solid State Logic AWS 948. The 48-input AWS is the centrepiece of the facility's new recording/mix studio, dubbed "New York" in homage to the birthplace of Bühren's favorite music. Bühren, who owns TrueBusyness with his wife, Laura, is a longtime DJ, his nickname inspired by his days as a "battle DJ" in events such as Disco Mix Club's World DJ Championship. He established a production company more than 20 years ago, soon after his first major label release, and has served as producer and mix engineer for dozens of German hip-hop artists. He has also built a reputation as a mastering engineer, putting the finishing touch to countless releases in a wide variety of genres and artists, such as SEEED, Unheilig, Max Herre, Gentleman and Rea Garvey.

Last year, Sascha and Laura expanded TrueBusyness by an additional 190 sq. meters into a neighboring studio and built a comprehensive new recording/mix studio. "We knew the rooms, their sound and the vibe," Sascha says. "It was the perfect match to blend with our mastering house. After that, choosing a console was easy. From the time I started as an audio professional, I wanted to own an SSL console; there could be no compromise. The AWS is the perfect pairing of a great-sounding console in a well-treated control room."

Bühren particularly likes the AWS's integration of Pro Tools® and other applications. "Now, I can work in-the-box outside," he says, "which gives any digital production a 100-percent analogue feel." Sonically, the AWS greatly surpasses his previous methodology of combining a digital audio workstation with a summing mixer. "Summing on a real console with 48 channels totally blew me away," he says. "You cannot compare it to the old method-I just don't want to go back, period!"
The total control allowed by the AWS, he adds, was essential. "Fast decisions in critical situations can be a lifesaver, and with the size of the console, you can reach all knobs and faders quickly, without leaving the sweet spot." The studio also offers an SSL X-Rack stocked with E and K Series EQs and Dynamics.
"Basically," Bühren says, "we wanted a high-class facility for anyone that wants the SSL sound, surrounded by a friendly atmosphere where creativity comes before business. The sound of SSL tells a story like no other console in the world and our clients agree. The first reaction is always wow. Sometimes they just sit and listen, as though they had never heard music before."